(no subject)

[puduhepa98 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 156344

>Alla
Suppose we get to view Draco's memories in the Pensieve. Suppose he  
placed his memories about GoF train accident in the Pensieve, except 
he  only put there **part** of that particular memory, starting with 
Gryffindors  hexing him?

Wouldn't you think of Draco as blameless party if you were to  see 
**only** that part of the memory?

> Joe:
> You believe  the attack on Snape is unprovoked. Not knowing what 
might have happened  earlier that day or the day before or the day 
before means that all of us  are at best making an uneducated guess
 
 
>Joe
>As for Snape do we need to see scenes of him doing "bad" things? He  joined 
the Death Eaters right out of Hogwarts. You don't just wake up one day  and 
decide to join a band of genocidal murderers and thugs. 


Nikkalmati:
 
You are speaking as if this were RL or these scenes were chosen by  chance.  
Jo Rowling is in charge and she shows us what she wants us to  see.  She shows 
us, by her own choice, that the attack on Snape was  unprovoked.  She could 
easily have given us an indication that it was  retaliation, but, in fact, she 
goes out of her way to show us it was not merited  and that it was typical 
behavior for James and Sirius toward other  students.  That is canon and 
speculation isn't really needed to fill in the  gaps.  She made it crystal clear. I 
don't think this scene is the  whole of James and Sirius' character and I am 
willing to grant them good  qualities later, but Jo doesn't leave us any excuse 
for what happens  here. 
 
It is also within her power to show us or to let us hear about bad things  
Snape may have done for the DE's at the time of the first war.  She has not  
done that; I assume for a reason. Any speculation on that point is just  
speculation because Jo has decided not to tell us anything about horrible  actions as 
a DE.  The reporting of the prophecy is disputed on this list  both in its 
extent and its motive, as you know.  DD who had the  best knowledge about it 
seems not to have held it against Snape.  In the  Second war, we still don't see 
or hear about any bad  actions  (unless you want to take Snape's own words at 
Spinner's End  as gospel truth <g>) except for killing DD and again that 
incident is in  dispute, as I am sure you know. 
 
 I happen to think that when Jo doesn't show us something, we  have to take 
that seriously and not act as if she just forgot to include  it.  The burden is 
on anyone who proposes that things happened that we  are not shown in canon 
to explain why Jo is withholding this information from  us. I am not trying to 
defend a particular character, I am just trying to  discern where Jo is 
leading us.  
 
Nikkalmati   


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